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CCVA Body of Knowledge and Competency Framework
Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration, 2015
www.CVAcert.org
Contents
Purpose of this Document Professional Management of Volunteer Engagement The CVA Credential 2014 Job Analysis:
Background Validation Survey Results
Volunteer Management Competencies and Tasks Enabling Knowledge and Skills A Unique, Complex Role
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Purpose of this Document Volunteers are a unique human resource for furthering an organization’s mission and vision. Skilled and competent leadership ensures that results and impact are achieved and that volunteer involvement is sustained.
The CCVA Body of Knowledge and Competency Framework clarifies and defines the full range of tasks involved in the professional management and leadership of volunteer engagement. It also serves as the foundation for the Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) credential.
This document can be a useful tool for multiple audiences:
Training programs and educators may be interested in the validated tasks and knowledge/skill statements to ensure their programs are up to date and consistent with the certification.
Reviewing this Framework can help new practitioners better understand their management and leadership role.
The Competency Framework provides a tool to assist executives and top management in supporting and strengthening the function of volunteer administration within their organizations.
CVA candidates may better understand how the core competencies of their work are determined through the Job Analysis process, and form the basis for professional certification.
The CVA examination committee uses this Framework to guide the writing of test questions.
CVA certificants may use these statements to guide their own plans for continuing professional development.
Seven Competencies of Volunteer Administration
• Plan for Strategic Volunteer Engagement • Advocate for Volunteer Involvement• Attract and Onboard a Volunteer Workforce• Prepare Volunteers for their Roles• Document Volunteer Involvement• Manage Volunteer Performance and Impact• Acknowledge, Celebrate and Sustain Volunteer Involvement
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Professional Management of Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer Administration is the practice of mobilizing, leading and supporting volunteer activity. It is inherently complex and diverse.
Volunteers can be found:
in virtually every type of community setting. (For example: arts and cultural organizations, prisons, places of worship, recreation centers, political parties, immigrant communities, senior daycare facilities, parks and botanical gardens, police and fire departments, self-help groups, neighborhood clubs, emergency response agencies, hospitals)
throughout all levels of policy-making, direct service and advocacy roles. (For example, providing leadership and influencing policy in the board room, performing administrative or strategic tasks in the office, working one-to-one with a client, advocating for change in a court room, making soup in a homeless shelter, constructing hiking trails)
in organizations with or without paid staff. (For example, organizations with a mixture of volunteers and paid staff, organizations entirely comprised of volunteers)
Individuals who practice volunteer administration:
come from very different backgrounds and careers and may or may not have received formal or professional preparation for their specific role of leading volunteers.
may be paid or be volunteers themselves. may perform their role on a full-time or part-time basis, or as an addition to their
primary role in the organization. work at the local, regional, state/provincial, national/federal, and/or international levels. hold a wide variety of job titles – volunteer coordinator, manager of volunteers,
volunteer resource manager, director of community engagement, community outreach coordinator, team leader, chairperson, coach, board member, project manager, event coordinator, etc. NOTE: For the purposes of this document the term “Administrator of Volunteers” refers to anyone who has responsibility for mobilizing and supporting volunteer involvement.
Despite this extensive variety, breadth and depth of activity, there is a set of common elements and core competencies which form the foundation for effective volunteer administration.
“One year ago I was promoted to Director of Volunteer Services…A new requirement of that position was to hold a credential in volunteer administration. Completing the requirements was a journey of self-discovery, a valuable learning experience, and was extremely beneficial in my career growth.”
Karen E. Stalvey, CVA, upon renewal Columbia, SC
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The CVA Credential Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) is an international professional certification in the field of volunteer resources management. Sponsored by the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA), this credential recognizes practitioners who meet specified standards as measured through a process of testing and peer review. Successful candidates who earn the credential may use the designation “CVA.” An international CVA registry is maintained and publicly available on the CCVA web site, www.cvacert.org.
Unlike “certificate” programs that involve classes or courses, the CVA is professional certification program that is competency-based. Intended for those with a strong foundation in volunteer administration, it is a self-study program that measures an individual’s “knowledge-in-use” — the application of knowledge and skills as documented by this competency framework. The certification process includes assessment of a candidate’s ability to structure tasks, process ideas, and solve problems related to volunteer engagement.
Individuals wishing to become certified must meet the following requirements in order to register as a candidate:
Minimum of the equivalent of three years full-time experience related to volunteer administration. This experience can be a combination of several part-time jobs, and can include both salaried and non-salaried positions.
Minimum 30 percent of current position is related to volunteer administration. Two letters of professional recommendation from supervisors or colleagues verifying
the candidate’s eligibility to apply for the CVA credential.
Any eligible individual from any country may earn the CVA credential. However, at this time CCVA conducts the certification process in English only.
Renewal is required every five years in order to maintain the CVA credential. Individuals are expected to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) through a variety of activities that demonstrate they are active in the field and continuing to learn and develop as a professional in volunteer administration.
CCVA also promotes the ethical standards for volunteer resources management as stated in Professional Ethics in Volunteer Administration and views these principles as an essential part of competence in the field. Candidates for the CVA credential are required to affirm their intent to uphold these ethical standards.
Ways to Earn Professional Development Units:
•Attending Workshops and/or Seminars•Post Secondary Education•Post Graduate Education•Publishing•Public Speaking/Teaching•Volunteer Leadership•Volunteer Management Narrative•CVA Exam
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The following national and international organizations publicly support the CVA certification as a valuable professional development option.
“Habitat for Humanity International mobilizes volunteers as a key strategy to build programs with societal impact. Standards of ethical practice and professional development for everyone in the organization who work with volunteers is critical to our ministry. The CVA credential provides a consistent standard that can be used worldwide.”
Mark Andrews, Vice President Volunteer and Institutional Engagement
Habitat for Humanity International
Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (ALIVE)
Energize, Inc. Habitat for Humanity International Idealist.org International Association of Volunteer
Efforts (IAVE) International Volunteer Managers Day National Assoc. of Volunteer Programs in
LocalGovernment (NAVPLG) National Human Services Assembly
Points of Light Institute & Hands On Network
The Aging Network’s Volunteer Collaborative
United Way Worldwide Volunteer Canada Volunteer Management Professionals
of Canada (VMPC) VolunteerMatch Volunteer Today
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2014 CVA Job Analysis
Background
During 2014 the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA) convened a task force to conduct the logical analysis portion of a job analysis study for the CVA credential. Composed of CVAs representing a variety of geographic locations and organizational settings, the task force participated in a series of web meetings managed by the Executive Director and facilitated by a highly experienced psychometrician.
Because the CVA credential accepts candidates from multiple countries, the task force began by reviewing recent competency and standards documents from Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Canadian National Occupational Standards for Managers of Volunteer Resources (2012) was accepted by the task force as a thorough and highly credible model for the CVA job analysis study. The task force made minor changes to the delineation of content in an attempt to focus on the tasks CVAs perform that are unique to the field and appropriate to cover in a certification examination. The modified delineation of content was then prepared for an electronic survey to validate the work of the task force.
Validation Survey Respondents
The survey was intended for people who have worked in Volunteer Administration for at least three years. Respondents who indicated that they have not yet worked in the field for three years were ushered out of the electronic survey. The survey was distributed directly and indirectly through an international network of organizations and individuals. A total of 874 responses (80% response rate) were received.
Demographic highlights of the survey responses include:
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Although attempts were made to encourage a global response, the respondents were mainly from the USA (67%), Canada (20%), and Australia (9%).
As shown below, the settings in which the respondents work were quite varied, reflecting the diversity of organizations where volunteer activity occurs.
Where Survey Respondents Work Type of Organization Percentage of Survey Respondents
Arts and culture 5.5% Association .2%
Animal-related 4.4%
Corporate (for profit) 1%
Education 6.1%
Faith-based 2.4%
Government / community development 3.2%
Health care and hospice 25.3%
Human services 25.7%
International development .4%
Natural resources/environmental 7.7%
Public safety and military 4.8%
Senior-focused 6.1%
Volunteer infrastructure (e.g. volunteer centers) 2%
Youth-focused 5.1%
Validation Survey Results
The volunteer administration tasks that comprised the main portion of the survey were organized in seven content areas, or competencies. Respondents indicated how frequently they perform the tasks and how important the tasks are. The frequency and importance of responses were combined for a singular variable of criticality. The tasks were validated strongly in that 97.8% of respondents indicated that the tasks completely or adequately covered their work in volunteer administration. The survey also included knowledge and skills required to do the tasks that comprise the competencies, and they were strongly validated through importance ratings.
The methodology and findings of the Job Analysis Study were endorsed by the CCVA Board of Directors in September 2014.
As validated by the 2014 Job Analysis, the following section details the seven competencies and related tasks necessary to develop, support and sustain volunteer involvement.
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Volunteer Management Competencies and Tasks
A. Plan for Strategic Volunteer Engagement
1. Assess organizational needs and opportunities for volunteers
2. Promote organizational readiness (e.g., commitment, capacity, competency)
3. Research and analyze related programs and services
4. Develop goals and objectives for volunteer services
5. Develop policies and procedures for volunteer services
6. Develop supporting tools and resources for volunteer services (e.g. forms, databases)
7. Develop evaluation plan for volunteer services
8. Develop risk management plan for volunteer services
9. Establish benchmarks for volunteer services
10. Implement evaluation plan for volunteer services
B. Advocate for Volunteer Involvement
11. Design communication plan for volunteer services
12. Implement communication plan for volunteer services
13. Evaluate communication plan for volunteer services
14. Inform stakeholders of volunteer service opportunities
15. Enlist stakeholders in promoting volunteer service opportunities
16. Develop volunteers as advocates
17. Advocate for volunteer services (to stakeholders and community)
18. Cultivate stakeholder and partner relationships
19. Collaborate with stakeholders
C. Attract and Onboard a Volunteer Workforce
20. Identify current needs for volunteers
21. Develop volunteer position descriptions
22. Develop performance objectives for volunteer roles
23. Design recruitment strategy for volunteers
24. Implement recruitment strategy for volunteers
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25. Respond to volunteer inquiries
26. Select applicants for interviews
27. Conduct applicant interviews
28. Administer screening process
29. Match volunteers with assignments
30. Evaluate placement of volunteers
31. Evaluate recruitment strategies
D. Prepare Volunteers for their Roles
32. Develop volunteer orientation and training plans
33. Design orientation for volunteers
34. Conduct orientation for volunteers
35. Provide role-specific training
36. Support on-going development of volunteers' skills
37. Evaluate volunteer orientation
38. Evaluate volunteer training
E. Document Volunteer Involvement
39. Obtain permission to share volunteer information
40. Establish secure storage for volunteer records
41. Create volunteer files
42. Maintain volunteer records (such as hours, activities, personal information)
43. Update external screening processes
44. Generate statistical reports on volunteer services
45. Archive, destroy, or delete volunteer records
46. Contribute to budget process
47. Monitor resources that support volunteer engagement (financial, physical, human)
48. Provide information to support funding requests
49. Maintain records on partnership and stakeholder contacts and relationships
50. Maintain partnership agreements
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F. Manage Volunteer Performance and Impact
51. Train staff to work with volunteers
52. Monitor progress on volunteer performance objectives
53. Delegate tasks to volunteers
54. Supervise volunteers
55. Coach volunteers
56. Conduct volunteer performance reviews
57. Provide feedback to volunteers
58. Conduct corrective action procedures
59. Conduct exit interviews/surveys
G. Acknowledge, Celebrate and Sustain Volunteer Involvement
60. Develop volunteer recognition plan
61. Implement volunteer recognition plan
62. Develop retention plan
63. Assess volunteer satisfaction
64. Monitor retention plan
65. Provide references for volunteers
66. Evaluate recognition plan
67. Evaluate retention plan
“From the reading and studying I gained a sense of confidence in my present work with volunteers, and designed a program of volunteer management at my church of 3000 members! I was able to cite statistics, develop a proposal, present it to council and get it approved – and now I am a volunteer manager. I do not think I could have done this without the CVA experience. Also, while presenting my proposal I mentioned that I was pursuing the credential, and that definitely lent credibility to everything else I said.”
Debbie Rothe, CVA Watertown, WI
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Enabling Knowledge and Skills Competent performance of the tasks listed above requires a wide variety of knowledge and skills, including:
Knowledge Of:
Ability To:
Budget and Financial Analysis Use Interpersonal Skills to Build Relationships
Collaboration Principles and Tools Ensure a Fair and Inclusive Work Environment
Communication Methods and Principles Develop and Disseminate Written Communications
Community Needs Analyze Work and Delegate Tasks
Volunteer Motivations Facilitate Training Activities
Evaluation Share Stories to Illustrate a Point
Ethics Present to Groups
Goal and Objective Setting Analyze Data and Make Recommendations
Human Resource Laws Convey Enthusiasm for Volunteerism
Training Design Resolve Conflict
Marketing Motivate Others
Needs Assessment
Partnership Development
Policies and Procedure Development
Project Management
Public Relations
Record Keeping
Recruitment Principles and Strategies
Research Methods
Risk Management
Strategic Planning
Screening and Placing Volunteers
“I have learned so much by taking time to get certified and have made several improvements to our processes. Going through this process has given me more confidence as a volunteer administrator. I highly recommend the process to all volunteer managers!”
Lee-Ann Scott, CVA Ottawa, ON
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A Unique, Complex Role
Those who lead, manage and support volunteer involvement on a daily basis ground their work in the competencies described in this report. Clearly, this role shares some commonality with that of other disciplines such as human resource management, community development function, project management and even economic development.
Yet despite some similarities, few other professions encompass the sheer quantity of tasks as this one. And few require such a challenging balance of organizational strategy, operational detail, human relations and passion for service. In the 21st century, the profession of volunteer administration is as complex as volunteering itself, as practitioners mobilize and sustain this precious, unique human resource.
To help practitioners connect the formal competencies to their day-to-day work, easy-to-remember functional names have been assigned to each competency. This additional language is intended to:
give administrators of volunteers a new lexicon for describing their roles spark new ways of thinking about the impact of volunteer administration on individual
volunteers, the organization, and the community inspire administrators of volunteers to approach their work with fresh perspective
drawn from other fields, and connect volunteer administration to other professions with which it shares common
roles and practices
The table below matches a descriptive role with each of the formal competencies of volunteer administration.
Role Competency
Strategic Architect Plan for Strategic Volunteer Engagement
Articulate Ambassador Advocate for Volunteer Involvement
Relationship Builder Attract and Onboard a Volunteer Workforce
Talent Cultivator Prepare Volunteers for their Roles
Data Manager Document Volunteer Involvement
Champion of Quality Manage Volunteer Performance and Impact
Passionate Leader Acknowledge, Celebrate and Sustain Volunteer Involvement
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The CCVA Body of Knowledge and Competency Framework organizes the tasks involved in volunteer administration into a framework of professional competencies. In addition to providing the foundation for the Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) credential, it also offers professionals in the field a fresh perspective on the many roles that volunteer administrators play.
Contributors: CVA Job Analysis Task Force:
Tobi Johnson, CVA, Knoxville, TN (Chair) Becky Blumer, CVA, Portland, OR Jason Frenzel, CVA, Ann Arbor, MI Ruth Millard, CVA, Waterloo, ON Kylene Mellor, CVA, Halifax, NS Debbie Rogers Lieb, CVA, Odessa, TX
Psychometrician: Lynn C. Webb, Ed.D.
For More Information:
Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration 804-794-8689 [email protected]
www.cvacert.org
